The invention relates to an identification card in the form of a Eurocheque card with an integrated semiconductor circuit inserted in a mechanically protected manner. The semiconductor circuit stores data which is or is not related to a particular person and can be read-out and optionally read-in in changed form.
Such cards are known for use as credit cards from the German journal "Markt+Technik", No. 9 of Feb. 29, 1980, pages 66 and 68. In this case a card about 0.76 mm thick which is put together from three PVC layers is involved. An interposed polyimide foil serves as the base material of a printed circuit and supports at least one integrated semiconductor circuit. The foil is so flexible that slight bending, which is unavoidable when the card is used, cannot damage the card or the semiconductor circuits. The middle layer of the three PVC layers is cut out in the area in which the semiconductor circuits are located, so that room is left for certain movements. In addition to the printed circuit with the semiconductor circuits, photographs, signatures or a magnetic strip can also be welded into the card, which can serve as an additional data carrier. If required, the card can be embossed in addition. The connection between the semiconductor circuits which store personal and other data depending on the purpose of the card, is accomplished by contacts on the upper surface of the card. Since these contacts can get dirty or oxidized, for instance, during the use of the card, the contacts of the read or data pickup equipment must execute a rocking motion on the contacts.
Depending on the application of the card, the integrated semiconductor circuit will be constructed as a programmable read-only memory (PROM), as an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM) or as a microprocessor. It is evident that the structure with a microprocessor offers the largest number of possibilities but is, on the other hand, also the most expensive. Since in such cards, however, provision must be made against abuse of data and unauthorized use, which involves a certain minimum amount of expense, it can be expected that the last-mentioned construction will prevail.
The weak points of all of the systems mentioned so far are the electric contacts which establish the connection between the integrated semiconductor circuit and the reading equipment. As already mentioned, these contacts can oxidize or get dirty. Furthermore, the card itself or the contact configuration in the reader can be misadjusted. It is a further disadvantage of the known structures that the card must be inserted into the reader in a very definite manner, which is accomplished by many users only after several attempts in spite of detailed operating instructions on the reader.
It is accordingly an object of the invention to provide an identification card which overcomes the hereinafore-mentioned disadvantages of the heretofore-known devices of this general type, and which is convertible and compatible with the cards already in use and proposed for the future, but requires no contacts.